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Hinata falls in love his fifth year, somehow. And it all starts like this:
There’s this boy in Slytherin whom he always argues with – it’s been this way since forever.
And, okay, maybe it hasn’t been forever, since he hadn’t ever really met this kid until his first year at Hogwarts, but that doesn’t matter.
At any rate, Hinata never expected to have him become his best friend (and even more than that) all in the span of one year.
(One rather eventful year, of course.)
--
August, Diagon Alley
Although he's not a first year anymore, it’s his first time shopping in Diagon Alley alone, and Hinata is trying desperately to restrain himself.
There’s just so much to see everywhere, and his mom isn’t there to rein him in when he sees Quality Quidditch Supplies and he (inevitably) goes nuts.
There’s a whole set of Chudley Cannons robes laid out by the front window, and Hinata practically vibrates from excitement. The Chudley Cannons has been his favorite Quidditch team since his hero – the Small Giant, one of the best Chasers on the Gryffindor team – had graduated from Hogwarts and joined their ranks.
He’s just standing there with his face pressed against the window, fogging up the glass and smushing his nose, when someone exits the store and makes a sharp left, bumping right into his small frame.
“Oi, watch where you’re going,” he hears someone say, and he jumps to his feet.
“You’re the one that ran into me!”
At first, all he can see is the person’s chest, so he leans up on his tiptoes to stare them in their face.
But, as soon as he sees the familiar scowl, he freezes up.
It’s Kageyama Tobio, Slytherin Chaser, whom he’s been clashing with since an unfortunate broom collision during their first year flying lessons.
Kageyama had called his flying shitty, but it was his first time on a broom ever, and it’s completely not his fault that Kageyama just happened to be flying right where his broom wanted to go.
“I wouldn’t have run into you if you weren’t so small,” says Kageyama now, frowning. “I couldn’t even see you there.”
“Hey!” Hinata strains to look even taller, stretching himself up on the very tips of his toes. “You’re just freakishly tall, you know.”
Kageyama’s face turns an alarming shade of angry-red, but before he can say anything, Ukai steps out of the store and yells at them for making a scene in front of his shop.
Hinata hastily apologizes and retreats in the direction of Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, Kageyama hot on his heels.
“Why are you following me?” he asks, after rounding the last corner, sticking his tongue out.
“We have the same supply list, dumbass,” replies Kageyama.
It doesn’t really make sense, though, because Hinata only needs new robes since he runs around everywhere and often gets into accidents that ruin his uniform.
But when they enter the store, he notices that Kageyama's glaring at the price for the same self-repairing robes as him, and suddenly he has to resist the urge to snicker. Maybe Kageyama (who flies perfectly and also sometimes acts like an asshole) isn’t all that perfect either.
He and Kageyama end up following each other to Potage’s Cauldron Shop and Flourish and Blott’s in order to buy textbooks and supplies. It’s actually kind of nice to have someone with him, especially since both of them end up struggling to find The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5. In the end, they spend thirty minutes running from one end of the store to the other, yelling at each other in confusion. Finally, a harassed-looking attendant gets fed up with them and shoves the books into Kageyama’s arms.
When they leave the store, Kageyama gives him a quick glance before clearing his throat. “Uh… where are you going now?”
Hinata immediately brightens. “I’m getting an owl this year!” he announces proudly, grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t wait to get a pet! Everyone has one already. Even Kenma’s got the cutest cat – it’s got these scary eyes, though, and it looks like it’s plotting my murder sometimes, but it’s still cute.”
He glances at Kageyama expectantly, but the other boy looks like he doesn’t know what to say, so he continues talking. “I don’t know where to get an owl, though, because most people go to Magical Menagerie, but Eeylops Owl Emporium sounds pretty cool, too.”
Kageyama considers this for a moment. Finally, he says, “If you want an owl, you should probably go to Eeylops. I think you look more like a frog though, so maybe you should get one of those.”
Hinata starts yelling, since no he doesn’t look like a frog, and why is Kageyama so mean all the time?
However, as soon as they enter the Owl Emporium, he forgets his anger because there are awesome owls just hanging around everywhere, and really, how is he supposed to choose just one?
In the end, he buys a brown owl, because when he opens its cage, it immediately zooms out and flies around the room twice before landing on Kageyama’s head.
The look on Kageyama’s face is so, well, Kageyama that Hinata bursts into laughter, and there’s no way he can resist buying that owl now.
He names it the Small Giant in honor of his Quidditch hero. Additionally, against Kageyama’s warnings that “you’re going to make it too fat to fly, dumbass,” he also purchases a whole bag of Owl Treats, because he plans to spoil it rotten.
They finish off their day by going to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour after, where Hinata is amazed at all the new flavors. The Small Giant only screeches once when Hinata sets down its carrier, so he rewards it with its first Owl Treat. (“Dumbass, it’s going to get fat in less than a week.”)
The whole trip surprisingly pleasant, as though he and Kageyama are friends or something. He's never really spent this much time with Kageyama before, he realizes, despite them being in the same school for four years now.
When he's lying in bed at home, he wonders for a moment if Kageyama and him will end up hanging out together ever again.
--
September, Hogwarts Express
It takes forever for Hinata to somehow wrestle all his trunks and bags and the Small Giant onto the Hogwarts Express, mostly because all the students around him are yelling and pushing with their bags, too.
When he finally boards the train, he squeezes into the first empty compartment he sees. He kind of wants to change into his new self-repairing Hogwarts robes immediately, but he knows he can’t just start stripping when other people are still boarding the train and someone might walk in.
After a few minutes pass with no one entering, his fingers are already itching to pull off his shirt. He’s actually about to do it when a mildly-harassed looking Kageyama throws open the compartment door and stares at him.
“Oh, sorry,” he says awkwardly. He turns around to leave, but a creepy call of “Tobio-chan, where are you~?” has him slamming the door shut and whirling back around with a panicked expression.
He takes the seat across from Hinata, where they sit in relatively uncomfortable silence.
At some point, a blond-haired Slytherin sticks his head in and greets Kageyama sarcastically before announcing, “Oh wait, Yamaguchi and I are prefects. Well, have fun in your regular compartment, Kageyama,” and disappearing.
Kageyama’s face twists into a disgruntled scowl, and he picks at his shirt with a small mumble of, “Shittyshima.”
Hinata belatedly recognizes him as Tsukishima, a Slytherin Beater and top student with a snarky personality.
He has the same attitude as a stereotypical pureblood Slytherin, but he’s friends with Yamaguchi, who’s both nice and Muggle-born, so maybe he’s not that bad.
But then Hinata remembers his “you’re all peasants” smirk, and thinks that he’s still kind of a jerk.
He’s about to voice these thoughts to Kageyama, who is sulking in the corner, when his Gryffindor upperclassmen Tanaka and Nishinoya come in.
“Hinata! You ready for another year back?” asks Nishinoya with a grin, taking the seat next to him.
And, oh, Hinata is beyond ready, he can’t wait to step back on campus, and won’t they look at his owl – its name is the Small Giant, isn’t it great?
Kageyama remains mostly silent for the train ride, but Hinata catches him smiling when Tanaka chokes on a dirt-flavored Bertie Bott’s Bean, and he thinks he’d like to see Kageyama smiling like that again.
--
September, Potions class
On the first day of Potions class, Hinata’s been tricked by two sliding staircases when he already knows he’s going to be late. After all, he just had Divination on the seventh floor while Potions is all the way in the dungeons. Even though he runs as fast as he can, there’s no avoiding his fate, and he skids into class ten minutes late.
Professor Takeda is kind and understanding about the situation, which he explains breathlessly upon his entry into the previously-silent classroom. Amidst the snickers of the Slytherins in the front row (one of which is Tsukishima, that jerk), Takeda asks him to take a seat, whereupon he discovers that the only spot left is in the back of the class, by Kageyama.
Kageyama looks annoyed, but also kind of lonely, and Hinata should feel upset at having to sit next to idiot Kageyama, but he’s really not.
Unfortunately, they get into a loud yelling match after Kageyama criticizes his ability to grind Wartcap into powder, and they make a mess of their first assignment – a simple Fire Protection Potion which explodes and sets Hinata’s robes on, well, fire.
Luckily (or unluckily?), Tsukishima dumps his completed potion over Hinata’s head, and it works, although Hinata’s left dripping for the rest of the class.
“How did you mess up so badly? That potion was supposed to protect you from fire, idiots,” Tsukishima scoffs, adjusting his glasses before turning away.
Hinata fumes, and Kageyama looks downright murderous, but Professor Takeda just laughs and says that mistakes happen.
At the end of the class, the professor assigns a quick essay – only about a scroll or so long – about mistakes they made on their first try, and how they can improve in the future. “Not that some of you need it, of course,” Takeda beams at Tsukishima and his partner.
--
September, Ravenclaw Common Room
After class ends, Hinata sits in the library, struggling to think of what to write. After half an hour, on the brink of surrendering to his desire to ignore his homework for a game of Exploding Snap, he thinks that perhaps he should ask for help.
His mind automatically jumps to Yachi, a friendly, shy girl whom he'd befriended in last year’s Transfiguration class, which Gryffindors shared with Ravenclaw.
He’s ready to run straight to the Ravenclaw common room and beg for help, when he remembers how Kageyama looked just as horrified as him when Professor Takeda assigned the essay.
After thinking it over for a second, he decides that he’ll be a good person and ask if Kageyama wants help, too.
As it turns out, he does, so at least Hinata isn’t alone when he conveniently forgets that he isn’t clever enough to answer any riddles and thus can’t unlock the raven doorknocker to enter the Ravenclaw common room. He and Kageyama are stuck in the corridor for forty-seven minutes until Kenma passes through and saves them.
In the meantime, he and Kageyama have been yelling at each other (“How could you forget you couldn’t get in, dumbass?”) and at the raven doorknocker quite loudly, so it’s somewhat amazing that no one had come to investigate the noise earlier.
After Yachi finally arrives and agrees to sit down and tutor them, Hinata’s delighted to find out that Kageyama is just as bad at Potions as him.
“Haha, looks like the King of the Pitch isn't so good at everything after all,” he snickers behind his hand, after Kageyma laughs at him for struggling through listing their potion's ingredients but draws a blank when asked himself.
Kageyama glares and begins leaning over him menacingly. “Don't call me that.”
“Why not!” whines Hinata. “Isn't that what they call you? I wish I had a cool nickname like that!”
Kageyama blinks in response, seeming surprised over something. In the ensuing silence, Yachi laughs nervously, waving her arms around in an attempt to mediate. “You guys aren't that bad at Potions, really!” she lies.
Kageyama and Hinata both turn to her with matching disbelieving looks.
Faced with their twin stares, Yachi nervously laughs again. “Well, maybe with a few more lessons, you'll start picking it up...”
Throughout the year, this leads to more studying sessions with them and Yachi.
They begin to settle into an almost-comfortable rhythm, and Hinata gets used to spending hours in the library with them, sunlight spilling over their books and scrolls, laughing with Yachi and arguing with Kageyama. He even begins to look forward to their study sessions (although not really the studying itself) and one day he finds that just sitting there with the two of them, going back and forth about the history of wolfsbane, leaves a satisfied feeling in Hinata’s stomach, like drinking a warm bowl of soup when it’s chilly out.
--
September, Quidditch Pitch
Quidditch tryouts are relatively early in the year, when everyone is still settling into their classes and trying to get back into Hogwarts routine.
Iwaizumi, one of Hinata’s upperclassmen on the Gryffindor team, complains about this a little, but Hinata doesn’t mind it. After all, nothing is more routine to him than Quidditch.
He’s a bit nervous for his first tryouts as an official team member, because he’s unsure of how to judge the new players or how to be a proper upperclassman and what if a new player is a lot better than him?, but he’s still so excited to get back on the pitch that his heart feels like it’s flying. On the other hand, his stomach isn’t faring so well, and he swallows down the urge to throw up.
In a strange mixture of anticipation and anxiety, he rushes to tryouts an hour early - just in time to catch the last part of the Slytherin team’s tryouts. He takes a seat in the stands to assess the players and just to absorb the feeling of being back on the Quidditch pitch.
The team shows off a bit for their new recruits, and their captain Oikawa sends Kageyama out to display a Chelmondistan Charge to impress the new Chasers. Hinata is captivated by the way his green cloak flutters as he streaks by, and of course Kageyama looks perfect – he’s a Quidditch genius - and Hinata’s heart sort of gets caught in his throat just watching.
Seeing Kageyama fly brings back memories of last year, when Slytherin had won the Quidditch Cup, Kageyama cutting through the air as naturally as he does now.
When Kageyama lands, Hinata’s shaking with competitive energy. He leans over the edge of the stands and cheers loudly, before waving his arms around and yelling, “This time… this time I’ll beat you for sure!”
Kageyama blinks, surprised, and surveys his surroundings before his eyes fall on a familiar head of orange hair. He shakes his head and yells back, “Then you’d better make sure your team is ready for it, dumbass!”
Hinata beams and flashes him a thumbs up. Before he can reply, Oikawa ruffles Kageyama’s hair and pushes him towards the locker rooms as Kageyama flushes angrily.
Hinata’s less nervous about the new members after that, and all he thinks about is how the Quidditch Cup will feel in his hands.
--
November, Quidditch Pitch
After what feels like ages, Quidditch season finally starts. It’s not quite a “season,” though, seeing as matches continue throughout the year, but Hinata’s too excited to really stop and think too much about it.
The first match of the year is Gryffindor against Hufflepuff, but that doesn’t stop the Slytherin and Ravenclaw teams from battling for time on the pitch.
Oikawa, in particular, uses many underhanded methods (Flattering the teachers? Scandalous.) to reserve times for Slytherin. Sugawara, Hufflepuff’s captain, has charms of his own as well, so Gryffindor ends up having fewer practices than they’d like.
Luckily enough, they still get more time on the pitch than Ravenclaw, as Captain Ushijima Wakatoshi doesn’t seem interested in the social skills necessary to wheedle more practice time from the teachers.
At least Daichi is willing to use his limited powers of persuasion to book more times on the pitch.
--
November, Quidditch Pitch
During their first match, Hinata honestly thinks they’re going to lose.
Hufflepuff’s team is in top condition, and their players blaze with competitive fire. Sugawara’s as good as always, agile and quick with his maneuvers. Michimiya is also a force to be reckoned with – she’s just as determined as Hinata is, if her reckless speed and sharp tosses are anything to go by. There’s not a hint of her bubbly smile as she zooms past, leaving Hinata gaping after her wind trail.
Ennoshita’s already one of the steadiest Keepers on the Hogwarts teams, but even he seems more unflinching than ever. Kinnoshita and Narita handle the Bludgers easily, and even Yamaguchi’s hard training is clearly playing off – at one point, he pulls off a Wronski Feint that nearly takes out Nishinoya.
Gryffindor is behind for the entire game, until Nishinoya catches the Snitch. They end up winning with 16 goals, even though Hufflepuff had made 23, ending the game with a score of 310-230.
When Daichi goes to shake hands with Sugawara, he yelps and tries to pull his hand away. Suga smiles brightly as he squeezes Daichi’s fingers with enough force to bruise.
As they sit in the changing room after, Daichi announces that they really have to give it their all for their next few practices, seeing as their victory this time had been a narrow one.
Hinata nods along, enthusiastic at the idea of their next game, but more than anything, he feels Kageyama’s sharp eyes on his back as he speeds for the goal.
--
November, Quidditch Pitch
The second match is held in late November, when the air is turning cold and the sky is gray.
He can already tell the match is going to be a serious one – Oikawa’s glare and Ushijima’s stony expression tell him such.
“Slytherin and Ravenclaw matches have been tense for awhile,” comments Daichi, who’s sitting beside Hinata in the stands. “Oikawa and Ushijima are both very competitive.”
On his other side, Iwaizumi’s hands clench. His stare is focused on Oikawa, and Hinata knows they’re both silently hoping for a Slytherin victory.
Bokuto, on the other hand, gushes about how great the Ravenclaw Seeker, Akaashi, is (“But I’m supporting my bro Kuroo too, of course.”), seemingly oblivious to the strained atmosphere.
It’s a close match, but Ushijima is like a one-man army, grabbing the Quaffle and tearing through the defenses with it. Hinata’s simultaneously horrified and amazed, but somehow the Slytherin team keeps up.
Oikawa is just as fast, maybe faster, and Kageyama’s a green blur on the field. At one point, Tsukishima almost takes out Ushijima with a Bludger.
Still, when Akaashi’s gloved hand closes around the Snitch, Ravenclaw only 4 goals ahead, their efforts are reduced to nothing.
Hinata watches as the screen changes from 120-160 to 120-310.
There’s a moment of silence, before the stadium erupts into loud roars. Bokuto is particularly loud in his yelling: “Did you guys see that?! I told you! I told you. Look at how great Akaashi is. That was so cool!”
Hinata rushes down to the Slytherin changing rooms after, following the trail Iwaizumi had left in his mad dash down the stands.
He finds Kageyama with his shoulders hunched, staring at the floor.
And, although he doesn’t mean to see it at all, he catches a glimpse of Oikawa’s tear-streaked face before Iwaizumi ushers him away.
--
December, Slytherin Common Room
Lately, Hinata’s been sticking to Kageyama like a bowtruckle on a doxy egg. He finds that Kageyama is easy to get along with, despite his prickly exterior, and maybe his heart squeezed a little when he saw Kageyama’s distress over Slytherin’s loss. Or something like that.
This sort-of connection he senses between Kageyama and himself eventually leads him to do things he’d normally be too scared to do (i.e. sit in the Slytherin Common Room).
Kageyama’s sitting there next to him, so it’s not so bad, even if he feels like he’s being watched all the time.
(“I think someone’s staring at me,” he’d whispered once, throwing glances over his shoulder.
Kageyama had merely shrugged. “Probably Oikawa. He’s weird.”)
Anyway, Hinata’s extremely excited today, because it’s only around a week or so before he can head home for winter break. He can’t stop smiling about it, or gushing to everyone about how his mom makes the best Christmas cookies or about the face Natsu makes when she reaches into her stocking in the morning.
When he finally pauses to take a breath, he turns to Kageyama with a bright grin. “So, what are you doing for Christmas?”
Kageyama puts on his normal scowl-face and mutters, “I’m staying at school.”
“What? On Christmas?”
Hinata jumps to his feet and starts shaking his shoulders, but Kageyama sort of shoves him aside, mumbling that his parents are busy at the Ministry and it’s no big deal.
“But no one should be alone on Christmas,” says Hinata dramatically, like the very idea is a crime. “Even that jerk Tsukishima is going home for the holidays.”
“It’s really nothing, dumbass,” grumbles Kageyama, looking away.
Hinata squawks – “I’m not a dumbass!” – and the comfortable atmosphere settles back in over them.
But, at night, he lies awake in bed and thinks over the conversation. Even though Kageyama never talks about it, Hinata gets the feeling that he’s scared of being alone like in his First Year when he would sulk through the hallways alone, and Hinata never wants to see that sharp, sad look in his eyes again.
Eventually, he rolls out of bed to write a letter to his family under the flickering glow of the candlelight, ignoring his roommates’ soft snores.
The Small Giant looks at him with big eyes when he rushes up to the Owlery in the middle of the night, but it takes the letter nonetheless.
--
December, Great Hall
A few days later, when the last of the stragglers have boarded the train home, Hinata greets Kageyama in the Great Hall.
“What are you still doing here, dumbass?” demands Kageyama, face flushed from the cold.
Hinata grins brightly. “I thought if I were here too, then neither of us would be alone for Christmas!” he says, beaming, and Kageyama’s angry scowl softens.
The Christmas feast and the decorations around the Great Hall help Hinata feel like he’s made the right choice, but it’s the grateful look on Kageyama’s face that makes him swell with pride.
Maybe he’ll stay at Hogwarts for next year’s Christmas Break, too.
--
January, Clock Tower Courtyard
Over time, students have been steadily flooding back into the school, and the courtyards and hallways are no longer as empty as they used to be.
Suga, Daichi, and Asahi all head back pretty early, at the very beginning of the month.
“To celebrate their birthdays,” explains Sugawara, wrapping his arms around Daichi and Asahi’s shoulders and tugging them down. Asahi makes a yelping noise as he nearly loses his balance.
“Oh, when are they?” asks Hinata, with wide eyes.
“He’s December 31,” says Suga, flicking his thumb in Daichi’s direction. “And Asahi’s the day after.”
“So you guys could have joint birthday parties!” exclaims Hinata, eyes lighting up. “That’s so cool! Hey, Kageyama, when’s your birthday? Wouldn’t it be awesome if we have close birthdays, too?”
Kageyama stares at the ground. “December 22,” he huffs finally, his breaths clouding the air.
Hinata stares for a moment, uncomprehending, as Suga, Daichi, and Asahi begin voicing belated birthday wishes.
“What,” he says finally, his hands curling into fists. “Bakageyama, I was here for your birthday and you didn’t even tell me?”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” Kageyama responds, narrowing his eyes at the courtyard’s cobbled floor as though it’s personally offended him.
Hinata, on the other hand, is feeling far more offended. A surge of indignation shoots through him, fast and unexpected and suddenly he’s viciously angry. He’s put in so much effort to make Kageyama happy, to be a good friend, and Kageyama won’t even tell him when his stupid birthday is?
All of a sudden, he realizes he’s yelling this out loud, and everyone in the courtyard and adjacent hallways are staring at him. Even Sugawara is looking at him with this surprised expression that makes Hinata’s face flush. Embarrassed, he turns on his heel and runs away, pushing past crowds of stunned students.
He hears Suga and Daichi and Asahi all yelling after him, but he doesn’t hear Kageyama. He doesn’t think to feel hurt about it until he’s back in his dorm, curled up under the covers with his hands to his ears.
--
January, Quidditch Pitch
Hinata hides from Kageyama for days after that, even ignoring him throughout their classes.
This sort of isolation leaves him feeling a little bit empty, but he ignores it because sometimes he still gets mad enough to make his vision blur (and maybe tear up just a tiny bit).
At first, Kageyama looks guilty and avoids eye contact. He doesn’t try to talk to Hinata too much, and he looks lost and withdrawn.
After a week or so, however, he starts trying to get Hinata’s attention again.
Hinata does a pretty good job of ignoring his nudging and “Oi, Hinata”s, but eventually, something has to give.
On that day, Hinata is trying to get in some solo practice on the Quidditch Pitch. Since he’d joined a team, he hasn’t had to practice alone anymore, which is great because there’s only so much he can practice by himself.
Now, however, it’s too cold for most practices, but he’s full of this restless, antsy energy that makes him want to get on a broom more than anything else.
The air is crisp and cold enough to sting when he flies too fast, and his eyes and cheeks hurt as he dives for the Quaffle, which he’s thrown some distance away.
When he tires himself out, his nose is already a bit runny and probably as red as his cheeks. He lands with a soft crunch on the snow and turns around, nearly screaming when he abruptly spots Kageyama only a few feet away.
He starts running before he really knows what he’s doing, but he lets his broomstick drop too low and it drags in the snow, which makes him trip before he can figure out what’s going on.
Kageyama is there in an instant, yelling, “Hinata-dumbass, just talk to me!”
“I don’t want to talk,” says Hinata, feeling tears form already. He tries to blink them back into his eyes.
“Why are you so angry because I didn’t tell you it was my birthday?” demands Kageyama, grabbing him by the shoulders. “It’s really no big deal! I don’t care about my birthday at all!”
A few tears spill over, and Hinata starts sniffling, but he’s so angry. It’s not about Kageyama’s birthday at all – it’s about how Kageyama doesn’t trust him enough, or doesn’t consider him a close enough friend, to tell him about even the smallest things and that hurts because Hinata just wants to be Kageyama’s friend, just wants Kageyama to trust him like he trusts Kageyama and…
And he’s saying that all out loud again.
He freezes up instantly, and his stupid brain starts panicking and telling him to run away again right now!!, but before he can, Kageyama’s face scrunches up.
“I-,” he starts to say, looking kind of lost. He hesitates for a moment before reaching out, pulling Hinata into a hug so Hinata can cry ugly tears into his coat.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you thought of it that way,” says Kageyama, muffled in Hinata’s Gryffindor-striped scarf.
Even though it’s freezing out, Hinata feels warmer than he has in days.
(Later, when they retreat indoors to the Slytherin Common Room, Tsukishima makes this gross scoffing noise and says, “I can’t believe you were just arguing about this idiot’s birthday. Talk about pointless.” Hinata flushes even darker.)
--
February, Potions Class
Hinata doesn’t realize he’s in love until the horrible Amortentia Incident.
Professor Takeda brings in a small vial on Valentine's Day, to show them what they’ll be capable of brewing if they take NEWT-level Potions in their Seventh Year.
Kageyama and Hinata side-eye each other, knowing that such would be a nearly impossible task.
The students are eager to push to the front and smell from the vial. Some of the girls seem especially excited; they giggle to one another conspiratorially, as though the potion’s some big deal. Even Tsukishima looks up from his textbook, interested in the lesson for once.
When Hinata takes his turn to smell the Amortentia, he can hardly turn away. The potion smells of the best things - like the grass of the Quidditch Pitch and Air Salonpas and some kind of familiar, heavy scent that makes him feel at home.
It only takes him twelve minutes of fidgeting back in his seat to figure out that the scent clings to the folds in Kageyama’s robes, and oops that’s probably where he smelled it from before.
He’s not sure if it’s some kind of cologne or detergent or just plain Kageyama, but, frankly, he’s too embarrassed to ask.
He’s too distracted by the horrible discovery that Holy Merlin he may have romantic feelings for Kageyama that he misses the way Kageyama’s throwing glances at him, too.
He’s even distracted through practice, and the whole team notices that he’s fumbling his tosses and catches. As they’re returning to the changing rooms, Nishinoya laughs and claps his shoulder. “Do your best to focus on the big game later, okay?”
That’s enough to clear his head for a bit. After all, Gryffindor is facing off against Ravenclaw next.
Nishinoya’s right – he can’t afford to be distracted when Ushijima is on the opposing team.
--
February, Great Hall
Apparition lessons are 12 Galleons and last for 12 weeks.
Hinata should probably be excited like everyone else, but mostly he’s nervous and he can’t stop twitching.
Before the first class, he goes and throws up in the toilet.
At least Kageyama is taking the lessons, too, which is a relief. It makes him feel a little better knowing that Kageyama’s going to struggle through this by his side.
Nishinoya and Tanaka are retaking the lessons, too, because Nishinoya splinched part of his eyebrow during the test the year before, and Tanaka had splinched his arm.
“What?! Did it hurt a lot?” asked Hinata upon hearing this, knees already shaking.
“It hurt like hell,” responded Tanaka, nodding sagely. “But only until they healed me and maybe for a little afterwards.”
So, yes, Hinata is extremely nervous, and Kageyama hits him over the head for it.
“If you’re too scared to concentrate properly, you’re going to end up splinching yourself, dumbass,” he reminds Hinata with a frown.
But Hinata’s mind is still a little scattered when he tries it for the first time.
Naturally, then, his first attempt at apparating doesn't go as smoothly as one would hope - he spins a bit, the world blurs, and suddenly his clothes are gone. He’s standing in the middle of the Great Hall in his underwear.
As soon as Kageyama apparates to his side, he screams. “Where are your clothes, dumbass?”
The answer is apparently “on the other side of the room,” and Hinata rushes back to throw them on, ignoring Tanaka and Nishinoya’s laughter.
Throughout the course of the 12 weeks, Hinata splinches his ear, his pinky finger, and two of his toes. On the other hand, Kageyama takes to apparition like a natural, and Hinata mopes a bit jealously.
Still, they both pass the apparition test, and Tanaka and Nishinoya do, too.
Apparition makes Hinata feel a bit motion sick, but it’s a good kind of sick, knowing that he can do this.
Yeah, his stomach turns when he apparates, but it also pulls those kinds of tricks when he stares at Kageyama for too long, and that’s a good kind of sick, too.
--
February, Left Belltower
For a few years now, the top room of the Left Belltower has been labeled “Oikawa’s Lair.”
The room itself stinks of expensive cologne and excessive Oikawa-ness. He’s supposedly gifted at Divination (and most other things – he is Head Boy, after all), and he’s taken advantage of his reputation to make some extra Sickles through love readings.
As soon as Hinata walks in, fidgeting and feeling more out of place than normal, he’s greeted with a bright “Oh, there you are, chibi-chan! Right on schedule.”
Iwaizumi looks up from where he’s been struggling over a DADA essay in the corner of the room and is promptly horrified. “This kid, Oikawa? Really? You're taking advantage of my underclassmen now, too?”
“I’m not taking advantage of him, Iwa-chan,” whines Oikawa, setting down a crystal ball and smoothing back his hair.
Unfazed, Iwaizumi punches him in the shoulder. “You’re nothing but a sham, and you know it.”
“So rude,” Oikawa complains, turning up his nose. “Whatever, Iwa-chan. It’s not like I even need my completely real Divination powers to see that everything’s going to be fine for him and little Tobio-chan.”
Before Hinata can fully ingest his statement and stammer out a reply, Iwaizumi makes a disgusted noise from the back of his throat. “Completely real, my ass. Well, Hinata, you got your consultation – everything’s fine. Don’t come back to this idiot anymore. He’s all lies.”
Oikawa sniffs, offended, and Hinata decides it's time to make a quick escape.
Before he can, however, Oikawa reaches out and grabs his wrist. His eyes have gone cold, and Hinata feels a bit of fear creeping up from the base of his stomach.
But all Oikawa says is, “Do your best against Ushijima for me,” before releasing him and grinning brightly. “He’s a tough one, but you’ll try your best, won’t you? Someone needs to knock him off his high hippogriff.”
Hinata thinks back to months ago, to Oikawa's tears and Kageyama’s shaking shoulders. He nods.
--
February, Quidditch Pitch
The game now is Gryffindor-Ravenclaw, and there’s a nervous feeling in Hinata’s stomach when he thinks about the way Ushijima led his team to victory, stamping all over Slytherin’s team while they were at it.
He throws up twice before the game, and his legs still feel a little wobbly. Iwaizumi catches him tossing fearful glances at Ushijima, and he scowls.
“Don’t worry about it,” he says, firmly. “We’re gonna give that bastard everything we’ve got.”
Hinata looks at him and sees how his eyes find Oikawa, and somewhere he knows that all Iwaizumi can think about is how Oikawa cried after the match, all red cheeks and smudged tears.
When Hinata thinks back, he’s more hung up on the angry set of Kageyama’s lips and the way he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand when he thought no one was looking.
The Gryffindor team is more determined than ever before – Hinata can tell from their grim expressions, but it’s no use. Ushijima wipes the court with them without even breaking a sweat.
Ravenclaw scores a record 36 goals to their measly 13, so that even when Nishinoya caught the Snitch, their scores were miles apart.
At first, Hinata was angry – how could Nishinoya even think about ending the game like that? He should’ve held off on catching the Snitch, because they could’ve turned it around, they could’ve…
But when they land, Daichi claps Nishinoya on the back and says, “Thank you,” softly.
The words “mercy suicide” sweep across the stands, and Hinata realizes the gap between 280 and 360 could’ve grown and grown.
Then he realizes that if Akaashi caught the Snitch instead of Nishinoya, the score would’ve been 130-510, and his stomach drops all the way to his sneakers. He feels sick now, and not the good kind.
Afterwards, Hinata lies on his bed and stares at the ceiling. They had tried so hard, too, and it hadn’t been enough.
He’d tried his best, hadn’t he? Just like Oikawa had asked… he feels as though he’s let Oikawa down, too, and Kageyama and Daichi and Iwaizumi and…
At some point, he drifts off. When he wakes up, Kageyama is sleeping next to him, his hair splayed out over Hinata’s pillow.
He’s not sure how Kageyama managed to get into the Gryffindor rooms by himself, but he’s grateful.
The loss stings a little less after that.
--
March, Quidditch Pitch
In the aftermath of their loss, it’s hard for Hinata to concentrate on the game between Slytherin and Hufflepuff.
He does notice that both teams try their best, and it’s evident in the way the players streak across the pitch.
Just as it had gone with the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff game, Slytherin remains behind Hufflepuff until they catch the Snitch, whereupon they win with 17 goals against Hufflepuff’s 22 for a score of 320-220. Yamaguchi seems a bit upset, but Sugawara isn’t even fazed.
“Don’t mind,” he calls out with a large smile. “The Slytherins deserved this one. You’ll get the Snitch next time.”
At the mention of “next time,” inevitably up against Ravenclaw, Yamaguchi pales. Suga pats him on the shoulder and whispers something to him as they head back to the locker room.
--
March, Forbidden Forest
Care of Magical Creatures is one of the only classes where Hinata can go outside and be as loud as he’d like to be, which always makes it a class to look forward to.
It’s also a joint class between Gryffindor and Slytherin that Kageyama takes, so Hinata gets this chance to see Kageyama, too. Kageyama always looks awkward in class, but that's probably because he’s not very good with the animals.
Today, they’re learning about the proper handling of a bowtruckle again because it’s required in their curriculum for some unknown reason. Hinata doesn’t find the bowtruckles to be too unpleasant, however, so he doesn’t mind all that much. After all, they’re certainly better than the Blast-Ended Skrewts or the Fire Crabs, which they also had to learn how to clean for their absurd curriculum.
Actually, caring for the twig-like bowtruckles reminds him a bit of Herbology, which he also enjoys, and he likes their leafy appearance.
On the other hand, Kageyama is struggling, unsure of how to react to the bowtruckle scuttling up his arm. When he tries to push it down his elbow, it sticks him with its pointy fingers.
As he yelps and shakes the bowtruckle off his arm, Hinata breaks out into giggles. He laughs so hard that he backs up into the tree behind him with enough force to rattle the tree’s branches.
The bowtruckle in his hands, seemingly deciding he’s a threat to its home tree, also pokes him with its needle-y fingers and hops down into the leafy foliage at their feet. "Ow!" he exclaims, shaking his hand and shooting a mournful pout at the rapidly escaping bowtruckle.
That makes Kageyama break out into a rare bout of laughter, too, and Hinata looks at him in surprise.
It’s March, so the air is still cold and the sunlight is weak from fighting against the thin clouds overhead. When the rays splash onto Kageyama’s face, openly happy for once, Hinata forgets how to breathe for a moment.
--
April, Platform 9¾
They get two weeks off for Easter break, which Hinata is monumentally grateful for. Natsu’s been anxious to see him (he can tell from the sloppy letters the Small Giant brings back), so he knows he can’t skip out on going home again.
Kageyama says his parents aren’t going to be busy for most of the break, so he's going to head home, too. That's nice and all, but Hinata sort of wants to be with him for a little longer.
Maybe Kageyama feels the same way, because while Hinata’s sulking, he says, “Maybe you could… um… visit my house. If that’s okay.”
It’s okay – no, it’s more than okay and Hinata is sure to let Kageyama know that immediately.
And maybe he sort of wanted to give Kageyama a big, warm hug, too.
It doesn’t mean much, not even when Hinata’s heart races when he feels Kageyama’s heartbeat against his cheek.
--
May, Quidditch Pitch
As soon as they get back from Easter Break, Gryffindor and Slytherin begin training like crazy for their upcoming match.
Despite their terrible defeat against Ravenclaw, the Gryffindor team is in high spirits. “It hurt a lot, and it still does, but there’s no need to get too hung up on a single loss. It’s no good crying over spilled potion, after all,” says Daichi, and the team seems to agree.
When Gryffindor and Slytherin meet on the pitch, the saccharine smiles on Daichi and Oikawa’s faces are almost comedic, and the teams take to the air with smiles and mostly amicable taunts (well, except for Tsukishima’s).
Even with the lighthearted mood, they both end up playing fiercely, keeping their defenses tight enough that neither team scores often, despite their tough offenses.
In the end, they have a tie of 60-60 when Kuroo’s nimble fingers close around the Snitch, and Slytherin wins 210-60.
The loss should feel worse, but the air is soft with the arrival of spring, and both teams are tired and sweaty after a good match. They end up congratulating each other with exchanges of “Good game,” and high-fives.
Hinata feels a little guilty that he doesn’t feel crushed or anything. Mostly he’s just upset because Kageyama will have bragging rights over him.
He still pretends to sulk as he’s lounging around with Kageyama later, but he stops after Kageyama offers to pay for new gloves for him on their next trip to Hogsmeade. If Hinata wants to hang out with him, that is.
(Hinata does.)
--
May, Hogsmeade
When they meet up to got to Hogsmeade together, Kageyama acts strangely awkward at first, which throws Hinata off. As a result, the two are silent on the way to Hogsmeade, but they both brighten up as soon as they see the brand-new Quidditch equipment through Spintwitches’ window.
“In the name of Merlin,” gasps Hinata, his breath fogging up the glass separating him from the broomstick on the other side. “That’s the Firebolt 2.0.”
Kageyama just scoffs. “I can’t believe you’re obsessing over that crap. The Nimbus 2005 is the best broomstick on the market right now.”
Hinata jumps up. “No way!” he yells, horrified at Kageyama’s awful taste. “The Firebolt is so BAM and when it turns it’s all GWAH and-”
“I can’t understand a word you’re saying, dumbass,” says Kageyama.
Hinata immediately rises to the challenge, which he discovers is a not-so-good idea when an aproned lady steps out of the shop with a murderous look on her face.
After they get kicked out by Spintwitches employees for screaming in front of the shop (is this becoming a thing now?), Kageyama and Hinata go to buy candy from Honeydukes. Later, Kageyama buys Hinata a butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks, and maybe it’s not a date, but it certainly feels like one.
--
May, Quidditch Pitch
Some part of Hinata honestly didn’t want to attend this match, but Sugawara had asked him to with a smile, so he came anyways.
Really though, he doesn’t want to watch Hufflepuff get flattened by Ravenclaw like all the other houses, because it’ll remind him of his own loss and possibly make him hate Ushijima. Plus, Suga’s one of the nicest people in all of Hogwarts and he really doesn’t want to see him lose on his last year.
It’s a relatively clear day – a nice one to spend sitting by the Great Lake or lounging in one of the courtyards – but most of the Quidditch spectators look anxious or defeated. Even some of the Ravenclaws in the stands look reluctant to watch the game play out.
Hinata’s heart twists when he sees Asahi’s nervous face and Yamaguchi’s obvious fidgeting, but Sugawara smiles as though he can’t tell what’s going on.
As soon as the game starts, though, the mood shifts.
At first, Hinata thinks he’s imagining it, but no- Hufflepuff is rapidly gaining ground against Ravenclaw.
The first time Ushijima blazes forward to make a shot, Ennoshita runs a fantastic Double Eight Loop and blocks him off.
When Sugawara receives the Quaffle, he neatly hits it with the end of his broomstick, shooting it past a surprised Kiyoko and straight into one of Ravenclaw's goalposts in a perfect Finborough Flick. “Sorry,” he calls out to her, “But all’s fair.”
And Kiyoko – steely-eyed, straight-faced Kiyoko – stares in shock before letting out a small laugh.
Suga somehow lightens the atmosphere completely, and suddenly the audience is captivated.
Hufflepuff’s even got a tight Hawkshead Attacking Formation down, and it becomes abruptly apparent that the Ravenclaw Chasers haven’t been practicing group formations or cooperative defense at all.
They’re evenly matched in the middle of the game, keeping neck and neck, until Hufflepuff starts pulling ahead again.
Then, Yamaguchi dives sharply towards the ground, his hand outstretched. Akaashi hesitates – is this another Wronski Feint, like the one he’d pulled in Hufflepuff’s match against Gryffindor?
As it turns out, it’s not another feint, and soon Yamaguchi is holding a fluttering golden Snitch in his hand. The score, previously 280-190, becomes 430-190.
The Ravenclaw team had been outplayed.
The crowd goes absolutely wild. Hinata jumps to his feet and screams with everyone around him.
As players start to land back on the grass, Suga outstretches his hand to Ushijima with a large grin. “It was a good game,” he says brightly. “Your team is really talented.”
And Suga must have some kind of supernatural power, because Ushijima tentatively smiles back as he shakes his hand.
The teams congratulate each other, and when they leave the pitch, the air feels lighter than it’s ever been.
--
May, Great Hall
When all the scores are totaled up, the points scored are:
Gryffindor: 650
Slytherin: 650
Ravenclaw: 860
Hufflepuff: 880
Hufflepuff had won the Quidditch Cup by a mere margin of 20 points.
Everyone swarms the Hufflepuff team during dinner, so Hinata can barely see any of the players. But the next day, during breakfast, he and Kageyama catch Sugawara in time for Kageyama to ask, “Did you know that would happen all along? You were pretty confident.”
Suga winks. “The structure was the main thing, you know. When we worked together to form a strong formation, it scattered their players in a way they weren’t prepared for.”
They both stare blankly at him. Finally, Kageyama says, “Maybe you should’ve gone to Slytherin.”
Suga just laughs.
--
May, the Room of Requirement
Predictably, neither Kageyama nor Hinata have started studying for their OWLs yet, even though there’s only a week left until the start of June.
They both rush to Yachi, and she gives a sort of surprised laugh and says she really has to study, too, but maybe she can make time for them on Wednesday or Thursday?
For the rest of the week, they try to study with each other, but neither of them really know what they’re doing.
The Common Rooms are often crowded now with people last-minute cramming, and they’re often kicked out of the library when they get into loud arguments, so Kageyama and Hinata are forced to find new places to study.
One day, when they get lost in the massive castle looking for an empty classroom, they find a cozy room with desks and even tea.
When no one stops them, the two of them eagerly head inside.
“Let’s practice Divination with the tea leaves,” suggests Kageyama.
Hinata gasps in horror. “That’s someone’s tea. We’re stealing,” he whispers, frantically waving his arms around.
Kageyama ignores him and sets a scalding cup of tea in front of him. “Drink it,” he orders. “We need the leaves at the bottom.”
Relenting with a frown, Hinata lifts the cup to his lips and ends up burning his tongue a little, so he squawks loudly and insists that they wait for the drink to cool.
Eventually, they start talking about the OWLs, which leads to Hinata telling Kageyama about the time they took exams in First Year and Hinata had gotten an A in Charms, which he thought was amazing because an A was the best grade in the Muggle grading system. He had tried to brag about his grade to Tsukishima, because the Slytherin had always called him an idiot, only for Tsukishima to inform him that he had just barely passed with an “Acceptable”.
Kageyama gives him a look that’s way softer than it should be. “Dumbass,” he says, but there’s no bite to it.
Hinata smiles back at him, feeling as mushy as the tea leaves in his cup.
--
June, Gryffindor Common Room
It’s Hinata’s birthday, and Suga and Daichi have thrown him a birthday party in the Gryffindor Common Room.
All of his friends are here - even Kenma, who hates social events - and someone (probably Kuroo) had snuck to the kitchens and gotten a real cake to celebrate.
Standing there in front of the fireplace, surrounded by people he knows and loves, he feels at home.
“Happy birthday, dumbass,” says Kageyama, moving to stand next to him.
Feeling braver than he has in awhile, Hinata takes his hand and laces their fingers together. On an evening like this, warm and happy, he doesn’t imagine for even an instant that Kageyama might pull away or look at him in horror.
And it’s perfect, because Kageyama does none of those things. Instead, he squeezes Hinata’s hand tighter, and Hinata is so in love it’s kind of ridiculous.
--
June, Great Hall
At the Leaving Feast, Hufflepuff is awarded the House Cup, which was somewhat predictable considering the points from the Quidditch Cup combined with the fact that most Hufflepuffs were angels who rarely did things that would get points docked from them.
Even with an expected victory, loud cheers erupt from the tables. In his joy, Sugawara nearly strangles Yamaguchi in a tight hug.
The food is delicious as well – the house elves and staff have really outdone themselves for the Leaving Feast - and Hinata feels a bit like he’s flying.
--
June, Hogwarts Express
A few days later, he and Kageyama find a seat on the Hogwarts Express together.
Only a few minutes after they settle down, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi drop into their compartment, to which Kageyama asks, “What, no prefect compartment this time?”
Yamaguchi stifles a laugh and turns to Tsukishima, who just shrugs.
The ride home seems a lot shorter than it probably is, and there’s a feeling of contentment sitting in his stomach, warm like Kageyama’s hand in his.
When they’re getting off the train, maneuvering their luggage on the crowded platform, Kageyama turns to Hinata and says something that he can’t hear.
“What?” hollers Hinata, as the students around him shout to each other and jostle him around.
Kageyama’s face flushes. “I said, “I got some tickets for the the Quidditch World Cup if you want to go with me?” Dumbass,” he yells back.
Hinata nearly trips over himself and drops the Small Giant in his rush to say “Yes! Yes, of course!” Then, he pauses and shouts, “Hey, you know, if we get to play in the World Cup together one day, we’d be on the same team for once. We’d be awesome.”
He looks at Kageyama with sparkling eyes, and Kageyama says, just loud enough for him to hear, “Yeah. We’d be invincible.”
Hinata feels his heart tug, like maybe he’s heard that before, and it makes him so happy that he just goes on his tiptoes and kisses Kageyama before he can even think about what he’s doing.
Kageyama makes a surprised noise, and Hinata’s brain finally catches up with his body. He jerks back, blushing and wishing he could just step back and disappear into the crowd of students around him, but then Kageyama bends down and kisses him again.
His lips are chapped, because Kageyama’s never cared too much about proper lip care, and they're really just pressing their lips against each other’s, but that's okay, too.
They break apart when someone accidentally shoves Hinata’s back and the Small Giant makes an awful screeching noise. For a moment, they just sort of look at each other, and suddenly Hinata’s laughing.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hinata spots orange hair, and when he turns, he sees his family looking for him through the crowd. He turns to yell at them and wave his arms around, and they wave back at him with bright smiles.
“There’s my family. I gotta go,” he says to Kageyama, a little regretfully.
“See you in a few weeks,” replies Kageyama and Hinata lights up, nodding enthusiastically.
“I’ll send letters!” he promises, and when Kageyama smiles back at him, everything feels right in the world.
--
Hinata falls in love his fifth year, somehow. And it all goes like this:
There’s this boy in Slytherin whom he always argues with – it’s been this way since forever.
And maybe it hasn’t really been since forever, but one day, it will be.
After all, there’s still so much time left to go, and Hinata wants to spend the rest of his forever with Kageyama.
It sounds cheesy and stupid, but when he looks at Kageyama and feels all BAM and GWAH like he’s on a new Firebolt 2.0 (which is still so much better than the Nimbus 2005, thank you very much), everything else doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
Kageyama makes him feel like he’s on the top of the world. Together, they’re invincible.